


For The Rest of Our Lives

by ineffability99



Category: Bohemian Rhapsody (Movie 2018), Queen (Band)
Genre: After Life, Fluff, Forever, Happy Ending, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, basically depends on your own belief of after life, or some version of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-14 21:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29922930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ineffability99/pseuds/ineffability99
Summary: Jim had tears in his eyes—not for the first time that day. It seemed like a ritual now. Seeing Freddie do something, saying a word, moving his hands in a particular way, or just looking at him was enough to ease the rope of sorrow and loneliness that was wound around his chest. He felt love—raw and oh, so pure love—in every fibre of his body. His shattered heart had started recovering, shred by shred with each moment that he spent with Freddie.When Jim finally meets Freddie again, nearly twenty years later, he has a gift for the love of his life.
Relationships: Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
Comments: 12
Kudos: 22





	For The Rest of Our Lives

**Author's Note:**

> Hello lovvies! This is my first work of fanfiction, and I am really happy that it's for the Queen fandom! I am very excited and _extremely_ nervous to post this piece of my heart, especially because it's about The Husbands who own my soul. I hope I have done justice to them and their love with this little fic! 
> 
> A very, very special mention to my lovely beta, [Aboutnothingness](/users/Thesherlockholmes/pseuds/Aboutnothingness/) who has been my biggest support system during the last month. You are such a perfect human being, and I don't have words in any of the 3 languages that I speak, which can be considered enough to express how grateful I am to you. You literally took something which was a product of me day dreaming during zoom classes, and elevated it to an entirely different plane of existence. Thank you so much for all your help darling, I'll forever be indebted to you!

“Jim, darling, did you hear me?”

Jim blinked and refocused on the man sitting in front of him.

“Yes, love. You know, I'm not really picky. I just want to hear you play, it doesn’t matter what it is.”

Freddie smiled. “All right then. Let’s see..." He hummed a little, and rested his fingers over the keys. 

Jim observed as Freddie closed his eyes, playing the piece in his head before translating it onto the piano. Jim had been a witness to this practise on many occasions. It wasn’t something that Freddie did in concerts. No, this sight was only seen within the sanctuary of his home, when he was Freddie, the musician and not Freddie, the performer. Jim liked to call it Freddie’s meditation routine—an undisturbed and unhurried conversation which he had with his music before playing it.

Jim remained silent and waited for Freddie to finish. After a few moments, Freddie took a deep breath… and began playing.

Jim was mesmerised by the sight he never thought would grace his eyes again. He watched as Freddie effortlessly glided his long, elegant fingers over the piano—was he playing a classical piece? Something by Mozart, perhaps? Or was it Chopin—he always did love Chopin... Jim wasn’t sure.

Although the music that echoed in the room was beautiful, he couldn’t take his eyes off _his man_. Jim watched as Freddie’s expression reflected the piece he was playing: the look of concentration, the bliss of losing himself in his art; the closed eyelids, the body moving with the notes that emanated from the instrument.

He looked breathtaking.

Jim had tears in his eyes—not for the first time that day. It seemed like a ritual now. Seeing Freddie do something, saying a word, moving his hands in a particular way, or just _looking_ at him was enough to ease the rope of sorrow and loneliness that was wound around his chest. He felt love—raw and oh, so pure love—in every fibre of his body. His shattered heart had started recovering, shred by shred with each moment that he spent with Freddie. 

This life with Freddie was the end to Jim’s pain, and the beginning of his joy.

It had been a week, but he hadn’t gotten used to it. He hadn’t gotten used to the fact that he had embarked on a journey that will truly last forever. It was still a novelty and he had no idea how long it would take him to accept the new world he was living in. 

At least not until all the firsts are done with, he thought. 

The first time he saw Freddie, standing in the garden as he entered Garden Lodge (or this world’s version of it), looking as healthy and handsome as ever, he nearly fainted.

The first time they cuddled on the sofa, later that night, he sobbed like a child, while Freddie caressed his back and gently kissed his head, whispering words of love.

The first time they made love, he felt an overwhelming need to combine their souls, and fuse their existence into a single being.

And now, with Freddie sitting on the piano bench, he felt the familiar urge to wrap his arms around him and listen to his heartbeat. He had yearned for this very sight for almost twenty years; he had yearned to listen to the notes of the piano echo through their home, and his heart. 

When he was still living, Jim would sit in his armchair, very similar to the one he was sitting in right now, with his hands wrapped around a mug of tea, close his eyes, and imagine it was another evening at Garden Lodge. The scene was not very different to what he was experiencing at that moment, except the fact that Freddie was actually _here_. Or rather Jim was _there_ with him. It didn’t really matter. They were together, and that was enough.

____

Freddie played the last note on the piano and opened his eyes. He looked at Jim with a hint of uncertainty. It had been a long time since he had played something for ears that didn’t belong to him or Joe. And the fact that it was Jim listening didn’t calm his nerves. However, when his eyes met his husband’s, Freddie realised that all his fears and insecurities had been unnecessary. He saw nothing but love and longing on Jim’s face, etched into every feature of his being; he looked entranced, a slight smile on his lips and contentment in his eyes. 

Freddie felt the all too familiar need to be engulfed by the warmth of his husband’s embrace. Ever since he had been reunited with Jim a week earlier, he didn’t want to stay away from him, not even for a second. They had already lost so many years, and he didn’t want to waste another second of the eternity that lay ahead of them. 

A tiny voice in his head still whispered to him that Jim probably thought of his behaviour as clingy and needy, but now he was able to silence it with the voice of his heart. He knew what his husband felt for him, he was sure of their love, and he knew that he didn’t need to pretend, or hide his feelings from him. 

_It’s like I don’t have to try so hard now_ , he had said years ago to David Wigg. It was one of the very few instances where he had allowed himself to talk about Jim, giving a tiny glimpse to the world into the bliss that he had brought to Freddie’s life. He never needed to talk a lot about Jim in public, their love didn’t require the validation of those who only believed in gossip. 

Freddie sighed and shook his head. It wasn’t the time to dwell on the past. He chose to focus on the present, on the man sitting before him. 

He extended his hand and asked, “How was that, darling? I haven’t played that piece for some time—I may be a bit rusty.”

Jim took his hand and sat beside him on the bench. “It was beautiful, Freddie. You could never play a wrong note even if you tried!”

Freddie laughed. His man said all sorts of silly things. 

He was about to reply when he saw Jim’s fingers touching the piano keys. This alone wasn’t enough to stop him in his tracks, for during their time together, Jim would often randomly touch keys that Freddie had just played. No, what surprised him was the fact that Jim’s fingers were poised on the piano, forming a chord. 

And then, very slowly, he began playing.

____

To say that Jim was nervous would have been the biggest understatement of his life. Here he was, playing a song not only to the love of his life, but to the master of the instrument himself. It didn’t help matters that the song he was playing was written by the man sitting beside him.

He never really intended to learn how to play the piano, not even after he had moved to Ireland, leaving his life in London behind him. But grief is a powerful emotion. There were days when he would find it impossible to breathe because of how much his heart hurt. 

After years of living such a life, he decided to follow his sister’s advice and started seeing a therapist. It wasn’t easy finding someone who wasn’t interested in the gossip about the love life of a deceased rock star, but he eventually found the right person. She was the one who suggested that Jim should start learning the piano as a means to cope, and to feel closer to Freddie.

It wasn’t smooth sailing to learn the piano in his fifties, but he persevered—for Freddie and himself. For the first year, he was afraid to play any song written by Freddie. He felt as if he was tarnishing something sacred with his inexperienced hands. But then one day, his piano teacher—his niece—distractedly started playing a very familiar tune when she thought that he wasn’t listening. He felt as if his heart had stopped beating. There was something different about just the instrumental part of the song, something haunting and inexplicably beautiful. However, what made it complete was Freddie’s voice in his head.

_Every breath that you take, each sound that you make, is a whisper in my ear._

He had tears in his eyes. It wasn’t the first time that he had listened to one of his songs... so why was he having such an emotional reaction? 

_I could give up all my life, for just one kiss. I would surely die if you dismiss me from your love..._

He leaned against the wall with his eyes closed, and mouthed the next words along with Freddie.

_You take my breath away._

In the coming weeks, he started asking his niece to teach him more of Queen’s songs. She never voiced her surprise if she felt any, and did her best to learn the songs herself, and taught them to him. After a few years, he had gained some level of proficiency at playing the instrument. 

But he always came back to that one song. Each night before going to bed he would play the song. It became a ritual. Even when he was sick, he tried his best to retain enough strength to play just that song. There was something magical about him playing it, and hearing Freddie singing, the voice still perfectly remembered, in his head. He could feel his presence around him, with his music transcending their two worlds to connect their souls.

The last time he had played it, he was barely able to sit up. However, he felt a sense of triumph after finishing the song and looked up towards the ceiling, as if expecting a ‘well done, darling’. 

And now, three months later, as he sat beside Freddie, he could neither contain his happiness nor his nervousness. He had almost reached the end of the song, and Freddie hadn’t uttered a word, hadn’t moved an inch. Jim didn’t dare look at him, but he could make out from the corner of his eye that Freddie was watching him in awe. He was once again overcome with emotions. And then a thought entered his head. 

Before he could backtrack, he lifted his gaze from the piano and looked at Freddie, whose eyes shone with tears, and sang for the first time in his own voice.

_I will find you, anywhere you go, I’ll be right behind you._

____

Freddie was stunned. He felt as if all the air had been knocked out of him. Here was Jim, _his Jim_ , playing one of his most personal and raw compositions _for him_ , perfectly. He watched as Jim scaled one note after the other, not looking at him once, seemingly lost in the piece, just like he himself used to be. He wanted to cry, to hug Jim, to hold him close and never let go. But he couldn’t move, transfixed by the sheer pull of emotions caused by the sight.

He knew that he was failing miserably at trying to keep his tears at bay, and soon enough Jim saw that too when he turned his head and sang a line of the song. Freddie gasped despite himself, because of both the significance of what Jim had just sung, and the expression on Jim’s face that mirrored his own.

Is it possible to love someone more than the depth of the deepest ocean, or even the expanse of the entire universe, Freddie wondered as Jim continued playing.

_Right until the ends of the earth, I’ll get no sleep till I find you._

He did find him, even if it wasn’t on earth. They were in a safer place now, a better world—freer and everlasting. 

Freddie noticed that Jim had stopped playing, but was still looking at him—both of them were in tears. He saw Jim gulp, as if trying to swallow the lump wedged in his throat and whispered the next words.

_To tell you when I’ve found you..._

Freddie cupped Jim’s cheek with one hand, while his other grasped Jim’s palm, and leaned his forehead against his husband. He wanted to express his gratitude, his love, his apology, his happiness, his contentment, but could find neither the words nor his voice to say any of it out loud. He closed his eyes, and tried to convey the flood of emotions coursing through his body. 

However, he willed himself to take a breath and say _those words_ , but as he opened his mouth, he heard Jim inhale, preparing himself just as he had.

Freddie smiled and whispered along with his husband —

_I love you._

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! Kudos and comments are highly appreciated <3  
> You can also find me on tumblr at [ineffableidiots99](http://ineffableidiots99.tumblr.com/) and [just-a-poor-boy-queen](http://just-a-poor-boy-queen.tumblr.com/) !


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